• Why do sports courts need line markings?
  • Are there rules for sports court markings?
  • What are the colours for specific sports court markings?

We’ve also added a few quick sports facts along the way, including how many netball players there are in the world, which royal residence was home to the first tennis court, and when basketball was invented.

Why do sports courts need line markings?

There are various reasons why sports court line marking is important, whether the lines are tennis court markings, hockey court markings, basketball court line markings, or markings for running tracks.

The main reasons for sports court markings include:

  • To create a safety barrier between the players and the spectators
  • To separate opposing teams
  • To help determine how points are scored

Are there rules for sports court markings?

There aren’t hard and fast rules about how to design your sports court markings, but there is guidance, particularly from Sport England, the independent sporting body that started as The Sports Council.

On the Sport England website at www.sportengland.org, you’ll find all sorts of information in pdf form, about designing every aspect of your sports court, whether it’s an indoor court or an outdoor court, including:

  • Pitch configuration (line marking)
  • Getting planning consent
  • Drainage
  • General maintenance
  • Site clearance

What are the colours of line markings for specific sports?

Just as the line marking layout for individual sports is generally different for each sport, so is the colour of those line markings. Below we’ve listed some of the most common sports and their line marking colours, plus a few quick and fascinating sports facts.

  • Tennis – Yellow: Tennis court markings are generally yellow, and are designed to aid the scoring system.
    A quick tennis fact – Henry VIII was a keen tennis player and had the very first tennis court installed at Hampton Court Palace.

  • Netball – Red: Netball court markings are usually red, and are designed to let the players know the parts of the court they’re allowed to enter.
    A quick netball fact – There are over 20 million netball players worldwide.

  • Basketball – Black: Basketball line markings tend to be black and are designed to aid scoring, and clearly show where the shooting areas are.
    A quick basketball fact – Basketball dates back to 1891 when it was played using a pair of peach baskets.

  • Badminton – White: The line markings on a badminton court are designed primarily to help make in/out calls.
    A quick badminton fact – The original name for badminton was Poona, named after the place it was invented.

Conclusion

To save you the trouble of line marking your own sports court, (a job that is much harder than you’d think), get in touch with a line marking company specialising in sports court marking.

As long as the line marking company is reputable, professional and experienced, they’ll have all the knowledge and resources required to design the layout of your markings, as well as install the lines so they last game after game.

Contact Us

For all your sports court marking needs, get in touch with City Road Markings today. Based in Edlesborough in Buckinghamshire, we design and install high-quality sports court markings to locations right across the UK, for customers in the public and private sectors.